Supporters raise bail money for woman charged in baby death

Supporters have raised more than $15,000 in five days on behalf of Tina 'Rowan' Bailey, a woman charged in the murder of an unborn child in Asheville. The Indiegogo.com account drew more 370 contributors from across the country.

An effort to raise bail money for an Asheville woman facing murder charges in the death of an unborn child has just made its goal, raising more than $15,000 in less than five days for Tina "Rowan" Bailey.

More than 370 contributors from across the country donated to the fund in amounts ranging from $5-$500 after the campaign was mentioned on the Progressive Parent blog radio broadcast Friday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear how quickly the bail money could be handed over to Bailey, who was still being held Tuesday morning in Buncombe County jail.

Police have charged Tina Louise Bailey, 44, with the murder of an unborn child, saying she mishandled a delivery after representing herself as a midwife under the name "Rowan."

Bailey has no state certification as a midwife. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, and has been held on $150,000 bond since her March 27 arrest. Bailey would need to post $15,000 to be released.

"A friend, teacher, mentor and fellow midwife, Rowan Bailey, as we know and love her," the Indiegogo.com profile reads, "was arrested for murder in Asheville, NC. If we allow one midwife to be tried and convicted for murder, where will it stop?"

Indiegogo is an international crowd-funding platform, where small charities or grass-roots campaigns can raise money online.

"Pregnancy and birth are the most natural processes in the human experience," the campaign profile states. "This process has been supported, facilitated and protected since the dawn of time by the midwife."

Investigators found Bailey wrongly presented herself as a midwife and assisted with the birth over four days ending July 23, according to a consent judgment she signed with the N.C. Medical Board.

The mother was admitted to Mission Hospital that day, and the infant was delivered stillborn.

According to Bailey's arrest warrant, the medical service she provided included catheterization and internal obstetrical exams, and she gave medical advice without proper training.

Police identified the cause of death as "acute chorioamnionitis and funistis and meconium aspiration," which occurs when a newborn breathes in a mixture of amniotic and other fluids during delivery.

The Progressive Parent radio host Gena Kirby could not be reached. She extended her support for Bailey on the live show Friday, saying that "at least thousands of people" were "thinking of her and supporting her."

Kirby's summary of the show says Bailey "was taken because she assisted a mother in exercising her own human right to birth her baby where she chose."

"This mother chose to birth her baby at home, and due to nobody's fault, this baby was lost in labor," the website says.

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Supporters raise bail money for woman charged in baby death

An effort to raise bail money for an Asheville woman facing murder charges in the death of an unborn child has just made its goal, raising more than $15,000 in less than five days for Tina 'Rowan'